Thursday, November 4, 2010

I hate buying or shopping for vacuums, and that is only because I know that after couple months they are useless and I wasted about $40 - $100. My house is just under 3,000 square feet, and the majority of it is covered in carpet, which I have noticed I was becoming to strongly dislike. When I found out that Dyson was going to send me one of their vacuums to review, I called, txt-ed, and emailed just about everyone I possibly could out of excitement.

"Dyson DC23 Animal is a canister vacuum with Level 3 Root Cyclone™ technology designed for homes with pets. With a turbine head and Mini turbine head to remove dirt and pet hair from carpets, upholstery and tight spaces."

I was sent the Dyson DC23 Animal Canister Vacuum. In the box was the attractive DC23 Canister Vacuum, which has a clear dust bin and purple trim, a turbinehead brush bar, mini turbinehead brush tool, articulating hard floor tool, a brush tool and crevice tool, along with the operating manual, quick start guide, warranty information and 5 year warranty. I have used this vacuum a lot over the past 3 weeks and still am amazed at the results.

The first day I got the vacuum, I immediately put it together, which was a breeze, and vacuumed the living and dinning room first. I went on to clean all 5 bedrooms along with the laundry room, kitchen, all 4 bathrooms and the foyer. Out of excitement, I did not notice the dust bin was completely full. I was disgusted knowing we were living alongside all the dust, hair, pet hair, and who knows what else was in that bin. Emptying the bin was a joy, you simply grab onto the handle on the top, press the button and it automatically opens from the bottom emptying itself. What a relief not having to stick my hand in there and getting the clumps of dust and dirt that we all had to do with our other vacuum cleaners. Best of all, it features a HEPA filter which is washable (every 3 months or so) that traps microscopic allergens including mold and pollen.This saves on costly filer bags overtime.

I have 3 dogs, 1 of which stays indoor, and it has been no problem for Dyson. My Siberian Husky sheds like crazy and when he is put in the garage or comes inside to go out the front door, his hair is left in the carpet in the dinning room and floats its way to the couches, where my indoor dog loves to play. The mini turbinehead brush tool has been great at removing 100% of the hair from the couches, the the regular-sized turbinehead brush tool effortlessly pick up the hair in the dinning room. This is all visible and can be seen through the clear dust bin. I also use the mini turbinehead to clean my bed, pillows and futon.

One thing that I absolutely adore about the Dyson DC23 Animal is the brush tool. Instead of dusting and spreading the dust all around the room the Dyson simply sucks it up. Dusting has never been fun for me, as I have to wear a bandanna over my nose and mouth from fear that it will fly into my mouth or nose. The vacuum also does not expel dust back into the air as you vacuum, you will notice the difference. I have become a huge germaphobe over these last couple of years and knowing that this vacuum is certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, comforts me.

The suction power on this vacuum is insane! Our most recent failure, the Dirt Devil vacuum, lost its suction about 2 months in and decided that it would choose what to pick up and what to leave. Unfortunately, after 3-4 months it had no more choice and picked up nothing more. The DC23 Animal has Level 3 Root Cyclone technology, which is the most efficient cyclone technology for capturing microscopic dust.

Pros: Retractable 21ft. power cord (by push of a button), easy set up, on-board tool storage, amazing suction power, washable filter, all the tools, ease of use, stair climber. The only improvements i see are that it could improve with a longer more flexible hose and maybe an on/off button near the handle itself.

The Dyson DC23 Animal Canister Vacuum retails for $499.99, and in my opinion is worth every penny. I see this as a huge amount of money, but very well invested. If we were to put into account how many vacuums we have gone through, tried to fix, and the amount of filters we had to buy, it wouldn't come short of the retail price of the Dyson. It has surpassed my expectations and I can't even do a full comparison of it next to the useless hunks of plastic that I have bought in the past. Huge thanks to Dyson for the opportunity to review their unique and very well-made beautiful vacuum cleaner.

Disclaimer: I was NOT paid for this post, however I did receive the product in question, from the company or their representing PR company, free of charge in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and I have provided a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Guitar Hero launched its first title in 2005, available for the Play Station. Six titles and 5 years later, it is available on several platforms including XBOX 360, Wii, PS3 and others. I have been a huge Guitar Hero fan since its 1st original title. I was super exited when I received the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, the most recent title release in September 2010, for the XBOX 360 to review.

The game's Quest mode was a story-telling element, something not seen in previous titles, but fun nonetheless. I passed it that same day. In the Quest mode you are to save the Demigod of Rock from "the Beast", a mechanical creature. In doing so, you recruit a total of 8 characters and perform a number of songs that represent their own music genre (punk, metal, ect.). When you successfully finish the songs and earn enough stars, you acquire their "powers" which you then use to receive the ax-guitar and later kill the Beast.

There is also a Quickplay+ mode which you earn stars for playing songs from the game library or your downloadable content. By earning stars you unlock additional features including guitars, alternate venues and outfits. The Quickplay mode alone gives Wariors or Rock replay potential. I have been at the game for over 2 weeks and can't put it down.

I absolutely love the "create your rocker" option in Quickplay. You can choose your own avatar, which I did at first. The extensive options available to make your own rocker allows you to customize just about anything on them. I made one, and had so much fun I spent at least 15-20min. on him. I must say, he is the most handsome man I've ever seen, I made his ears pointy (like Spock) and was exited to see that under the eyebrow section was one that said "Vulcan", which i obviously had to choose. I gave Johnny, as I named him, a Pompadour and overall Greaser/Punk vibe.

There are 93 songs on the disc which were chosen to fit within a specific genre. I personally have not heard quite a chunk of the songs but have fallen in love with many of them. Songs like Uprising by Muse, Machinehead by Bush, I Know What I Am by Band of Skulls, Self Esteem by the Offspring Waidmanns Heil by Rammestein and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen remain some of the most repeatedly played songs on my list.

I not only received the game, the bundle included the kick ass new wireless rock-inspired guitar and a copy of Soundgarden's Telephantasm CD. I must say, the new guitar is a conversation starter, lol. It is very modern-looking and the whammy bar feels better than my old Guitar Hero guitars. The bundle is available for the XBOX 360, PS3, and Wii and retails for about $100. You can play in any combination of guitar, bass, drums and vocals.

Overall, I love Guitar Hero's Warriors of Rock game. Although I find some of the songs in the game an odd addition, the overall game is very enjoyable and, for me, has a huge replay potential. It has been so much fun to play with my family and friends. A big thanks to Guitar Hero for the opportunity to review the game! :) If any of you are looking for a Christmas gift for that video-game fan in your life, make sure you check out Guitar Hero's new Warriors of Rock! I highly recommend you pass the fun! :)

Disclaimer: I was NOT paid for this post, however I did receive the product in question, from the company or their representing PR company, free of charge in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and I have provided a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Here is a partial list of deals for the Target Weekly Ad of November 7, 2010. I don't list the whole ad, just Grocery, Pets, Beauty, Household and/or Patio/Outdoor. Mainly, only things that can be matched with coupons. Remember, Ads may vary, I'm located in the Los Angeles Area in Southern California.

New to couponing at Target? Check out the Target 101starter post for info and policies.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Red Bull Wings Team is going to be at 100s of Colleges and Universities across the U.S. giving away a FREE 4pk. of Red Bull Energy Drinks on Thursday, November 4th!

All you have to do is choose you school from a drop-down list and enter your cell phone number on their website. and on November 4th, they will send you a text message to reveal the secret location of the Red Bull Wings Team on or near your campus.

My little sister is so funny! She is 4 years old so she is still learning a lot but can speak very well. The other day she walks toward me stiff with her hand straight now and stops and asks, "what do I look like?". A small "L" I told her and she said, "Yeah, you're right... and I don't have any hair". lol!

I don't know if she was referring to herself or the actually letter "L" being bald. So funny. I want to start writing down all these absolutely weird things she says and show them to her when she is older, what a laugh! :)

Any of you guys had those random things come out of your kids? I would seriously love to hear some of yours! :)

Every Wednesday I will be posting EARLY PREVIEWS available through (WUC) WeUseCoupons.com. I will be highlighting the best deals from (2) particular stores; CVS and Walgreens. Don't worry though, you guys will still have your Target Ad + Coupon Match-Ups too! So make sure to drop by Wednesdays and check the early previews here at StudentSavingBucks. I will have an individual post for each store. This main post will be used to direct you to early coupon insert previews.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Scentsy is an innovative flameless, wickless scented wax candle. I have mentioned on my blog before how much I LOVE my house to smell good, and with just under 3,000 square feet of living space, we need a lot of products. That is why when ever I see deals on Glade, Air Wick or any other brands with fragrance products, I grab them in handfuls.

I had seen reviews on other blogs and was ecstatic when Karen, a Scentsy Independent Consultant, contacted me for a review and giveaway :) I chose to review the Onyx warmer. As you can see in the pictures above, it looks amazing and can be used as a night light! The warmer came very well packaged and was extremely easy to assemble. All that was needed was to screw in the 25-watt light bulb and plug it in. After assembling it, I added a chunk of the Scenty bar (more on that below) on the dish tray you see siting above the warmer. The heat of the bulb melts the Scenty bar in the dish tray and provides a wonderful long-lasting scent in whatever room you place it in.

Along with the warmer, I was sent a total of 3 Scentsy bars in some delicious scents. #1 was Winter Wonderland; This Scentsy bar is delicious, it smells like peppermint, very clean crisp smell. I cannot wait for Christmas time, the fragrance of Winter Wonderland would compliment the holiday very well. #2 was Mulberry Bush; This was my absolute favorite. I am a big fan of the smell of mulberry, its very tangy and fresh :). #3 was Berry Tart; I burned this and automatically though of cherry pie. The smell is very mouth-watering and tasty.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with Scentsy. This is a product that is well worth what it costs and gives you more bang for your buck. The Scentsy bars come in so many great scents and are reusable. When you want to switch fragrances, you simply pour the hot wax back into its container to harden and put another on the dish tray. I love that the outside of the warmer does not burn you when you touch it. I am absolutely in love.

Be sure to visit Karen's Scentsy Store. There are so many different styles and sizes of warmers, there are also plug-in warmers, travel tins, and even Scentsy Buddies, which are cute stuffed animals with scent pacs inside. Already available are Holiday Warmers that look so great and I'm sure will make a great Christmas present for family, friends, or anyone really.

I want to give a big thanks to Karen for providing me with this amazing warmer and the Scentsy bars to review. She has been great to work with and has even offered to provide TWO of my readers with a chance to try these candles themselves! :)

Leave a comment for each of the things you did for extra entries. Leave a link for tweets or blog posts if applicable. Available to U.S. residents only. GOOD LUCK. Giveaway will end November 20th, 2010 and a winner will be chosen then.

Disclaimer: I was NOT paid for this post, however I did receive the product in question, from the company or their representing PR company, free of charge in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and I have provided a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Another week of Blog Hops nicely organized into a NEW convenient post :) lol. Join us, make new friends, and find new blogs! This is my 17th week. Wow! :)

As part of my 6-Month Blogiversary, I'm sponsoring a $100 Target Gift Card Giveaway! Just in time for the Holiday Season :) I hope you guys drop by and enter for your chance to win! :) It ends 11/30. To enter, click the image below:

Sunday, October 31, 2010

What a great 6 months these have been :) In 6 months I've received 92,100+ page hits, 654 + Google Friend Connect Followers, 315+ Facebook Fans and 585+ Twitter Followers. I am very thankful for my growing number of readers :) I love all your comments!

As you guys previously read, i was planning on changing my layout, and I did! :) Hope you guys like it. I went through 3 different ones before I photoshopped this one and loved it! Hope you guys like the new look! :)

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GIVEAWAY:(1) Winner will receive:

★ $100 Target Gift Card!

To thank all my current and future readers, I am giving away a huge $100 Target Gift Card! Just in time for the Holiday Season! :) All you couponers out there can really make this stretch! I am sponsoring this giveaway. :) So enter, and good luck to all of you!

WINNER:

#187 - Sasha

Congrats! Thanks to everyone for entering and following me. I hope to have some more great Gift Card Giveaways in the future for you guys! :) Winner chosen via Random.org

To Enter:

★(Required)Leave a comment telling me what you'll buy at Target if you won!

Leave a comment for each of the things you did for extra entries. Leave a link for your tweet, if applicable. Available to U.S. residents only. GOOD LUCK. Giveaway will end November 30th, 2010 and a winner will be chosen then.

...because students like to save too! Coupons, deals, early previews, reviews, giveaways and LIFE. My blog is a journey of my savings, helping others save and my exiting life in general :) After all, I am a Student Saving Bucks! :)

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About Me

I'm Ai Mei, a 26 y/o Latina-mix blogger and owner of Student-Saving-Bucks.com
I live in Los Angeles and am a College Student (Anthropology Major) who loves to save money, spend time with friends and family and review a plethora of products :)